Johnson sets double target

Adam Johnson has declared his ambition to play more regularly for Manchester City and break back into the England squad.

Last Updated: 11/07/12 2:40pm

Adam Johnson: Starting his bid now to be included in the 2014 World Cup squad

Adam Johnson has declared his ambition to play more regularly for Manchester City and break back into the England squad.

Johnson was delighted to see City become Premier League champions last season but admits it was frustrating not to play a major role in their success.

He remains fully committed to the club, though, and is determined to impress during pre-season to force his way into Roberto Mancini's starting XI.

Speaking about the end of last season, the winger told City's official website: "It was pretty hard watching from the sidelines because obviously you want to be out there, helping the lads.

"It's tough, but you have to keep plugging away and just give your all. We won the title which was the main thing, but obviously you want to feel you've played your part, too.

"Things can change pretty quickly in football and this is a new season and we all start with a clean slate once again. What I need to do is respond, try even harder and react positively.

"On a personal level, it was a disappointing end to the season for me because I wasn't playing for City and then I missed out on Euro 2012 which hurt me a lot, but the key is to bounce back and not dwell on things.

"I love everything about this club - the lads, the people around it and the supporters have always been brilliant towards me. I'm settled where I live so I just need to get out there and play - as a footballer, that's all I want to do."

Hodgson praise

Expanding on the disappointment he felt at missing out on a place in the England squad for Euro 2012, Johnson admitted that he was at least grateful to Roy Hodgson for the way he got in touch to break the news.

Johnson thinks his performances for City last season had merited a call-up, especially as he had been heavily involved in the qualifying campaign.

"I'll be quite honest and say I really think I should have been selected because I played five times in the qualifiers and scored two goals so I thought I'd proved my worth," he said.

"When I played for City last season I scored a few goals and made a few as well so it took me a while to accept not being able to represent my county at a major championship because the same thing happened at the World Cup two years ago.

"To be fair, Roy Hodgson has been brilliant with me and phoned me to say that he still wanted me to come to Norway and train before the Euros began.

"As far as I'm concerned, I start my bid for the 2014 World Cup from now."